Do you like to read? Have you ever stayed up waaaayyy to late reading? Then this is the spot for you. This is the spot for the eclectic book reader. I love all kinds of books, in any format. I can't wait to share my love of books with you.

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Saturday, September 8, 2012

Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.I am pleased to share my review of this book
with you.Thank you for visiting and
please come again.

Dangerous
Shift
By Jill James

Genre: paranormal romantic suspense

ISBN: 9781476499673

ASIN: B008RDPN72

Number of pages: 222

Word Count: 76,000

Cover Artist: Elaina Lee, For The Muse Designs

Blurb
:

HE IS MR. BY-THE-BOOK, WITH A SECRET...

Shape shifters live among us but remain unknown to
most people except for the highest echelons of law enforcement, the military,
science, and medical fields—until now.

SHE IS A LOOSE CANNON WITH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM...

When a fatal virus strikes Shape shifters all over
the West coast, including members of the Shape shifter Task Force in San Laura,
California, reinforcements are called in from around the United States.

TOGETHER, THEY JUST MIGHT CATCH A KILLER

Lt. Nikki Hill of Missouri comes to San Laura and is partnered up with
Lt. Sean Evans. They quickly butt heads on everything from proper police
procedures to the moral ethics of euthanasia. They can’t seem to get a lead on
the serial killer even as members of their own families are stricken with the
virus. In their grief they turn to each other and hope they have time to
discover if their relationship stands a chance or if they might just be the
next victims of the species extinction disease.

About the
Author:

Jill James didn’t start out wanting to be an author.
Along the way she wanted to be an astronaut, President of the United States, a
lawyer, and a doctor. Once married with children she realized she could be all
those things in the pages of the stories she wrote.

She lives in Northern California with her husband,
who is the inspiration for all her romance novel heroes.

Sean Evans turned away as tears rolled
down his ex-partner Colin Rodriguez’s face. The man sat by his fiancée’s
bedside, her hand clasped in his, waiting for her to die. The sound of boot
heels echoed up and down the hospital corridor. All marched past the closed
door, none brave enough to stop at this room.

Sean stared at the dying woman.
Paulette’s red hair was the only color in the monochrome-toned hospital room.
Colin’s hand shook as he brushed the hair back from Paulette’s sweaty face. The
virus wreaked havoc on the young woman.

Sean swallowed bile rising in his throat
as the young Shapeshifter in the bed screamed. Her flesh boiled, roiling
beneath the surface, and she screamed again. Her back arched off the bed. For
months now, the Shapeshifter Task Force had been working to track down the
cause of the virus and it struck close to home, killing two of their own.
First, his own partner, Barry, and now, Paulette.

Her fingers turned into talons that dug
into Colin’s hand. Blood dripped from the cuts onto the crisp, white sheet.
Colin held her hand; the only sign of his pain was the grimace on his tanned
face.

Sean rubbed his burning eyes, surprised
to find tears on his own cheeks. He scrubbed the wetness away and raked his
fingers through his hair. His tears wouldn’t help Paulette or Colin. Nothing
could help them now. His hands clenched into fists at his side. He ached to
punch a wall, anything to kill the tension in the room.

A scream built in his throat. Just last
week he had sat here, forced to watch the young man, new to the task force,
breathe his last. He stared into the ceiling lights, his eyes watered with the
brightness. He repeated his personal mantra of calm and cool until his emotions mellowed, until they no longer
threatened to overwhelm him.

He turned his head back as Paulette’s
screams died down to whimpers. She had lost all control of her shifting. She
grew fur and it disappeared. Her head changed shape as she shifted into a
canine form, then a feline form, then back to her own. Her limbs flopped
against the mattress as she convulsed. The shifting now happened every few
seconds.

Colin threw himself across her body as
if he could stop the tragedy from its conclusion.

“Noooo.” His voice ricocheted across the
room and down the hall.

Sean rushed to his best friend’s side
and ripped him up off of the dying Shifter. No one had discovered yet how the
virus was transmitted. They didn’t need masks and gloves anymore, not in the
last several months at least, but no one wanted to find out what full-body contact
might do.

The monitor blared as Sean searched
Paulette for any life signs and found none. Her chest didn’t move. She was
gone. Just like Barry. Just like all the other Shifters in the past few months.

Sean turned away as Paulette’s flesh
jellified and sank into the mattress, only a slight bump under the covers to
show a living being had been there.

Colin’s anguish pierced his soul, and
when Colin threw himself across the bed again.Sean didn’t bother to stop him.What did it matter when his friend had just lost his partner and the
love of his life?

The sounds of harsh breaths and sobs
still echoed in Sean’s ears when the door opened and the Captain of the Task
Force rushed in. Sean turned to the man and shook his head.

Captain Connors motioned for Sean to
talk to him outside. Sean shot a quick look to Colin and followed the captain
outside to the hallway.

“Lieutenant Evans, with Robertson’s
death today, added to the others, the task force is low on numbers. We will
need to send word to the other task forces and ask for reinforcements.”

Sean’s hands formed into fists at his side.
The human captain made no bones about his dislike of Shape shifters, but
Paulette’s body wasn’t even cold yet and he drudged up business decisions.

He took deep breaths and relaxed his
hands. As the Lead Lieutenant in the task force, business took priority. Even
over death.

“Will you send a request to the
Southwest office in Las Vegas?” Their own task force office covered the
Northwest—Northern California, part of Nevada, and all of Oregon, Washington
state, and Idaho.

The captain shook his
head. “A few cases have been reported in Los Angeles. We can’t risk it. I’ll
request someone from the Midwest. No cases have been reported yet out there.
There is a small task force in Columbia, Missouri, an hour outside St. Louis.”

Book Review:

Very interesting and unique concept
of shifters.I don’t think I’ve ever
read a book quite like this one.The
author based the idea on Jurassic Park and the idea that while the scientists
made all the dinosaurs female so that they could not reproduce, but nature
adapted to fix that issue.These
shifters have dominate and non-dominate personality and these personalities are
of opposite genders.So if your dominate
personality was female and so was your sisters, you would also be a brother and
have a brother who were the opposite of your female counterpart.Okay, my explanation was totally confusing,
even to me, but in the book it is clear and presented in a well thought out
manner.

There is also the love story and the
paranormal concept of one true love or mate, but that you could be happy with
someone else.Just very intriguing ideas
that I haven’t seen in other shifter stories.Very well written and interesting story idea.

I give this story 4 out of 5 clouds.

This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.I am pleased to share my review of this book
with you.Thank you for visiting and
please come again.

Genre: Dark Fairy tale/Fantasy(Warning: Extremely Mature Content)

Publisher: Melange Books

Release Date: July 31, 2012

Blurb
:

The
world of fairy tales is twisted and corrupted. Two years after her entrapment
and torture at the hands of the Seven Deadly Trolls, Snow White now works as an
assassin for hire. Rude, crude and with her princess status long revoked, she
has become a dark angel for the Ever After's damsels-in-distress.

A game
of cat and mouse soon begins when two of the Deadlies, Pride and Wrath, return
to exact revenge on the fallen princess for the murder of their brothers.

Armed
with her trusty dagger carved from the magic mirror, Snow finds herself drawn
into a conspiracy that involves an ancient relic from beyond her world's
borders and the destruction of her world.

Taking
perversion to a whole new level, NEVER AFTER is an estrogen-filled romp to save
the Ever After as Snow slices and dices her way through beloved characters
leaving no talking animal safe!

About the
Author:

Jason
Macumber has been writing since he could first hold a pen, weaving stories so
grand his teachers would usually have to pull him back down to earth on more
than one occasion. After beginning his writing career in the Young Adult genre,
he found that the medium did not suit his more mature tastes and tones that
were dying to rip free from the far reaches of his mind. Thus, Snow emerged and
became a force to be reckoned and the Ever After Chronicles was born. He is
currently living in Florida where he is finishing his graduate degree and
punching out the sequel to NEVER AFTER in the company of his three dogs and one
mischievous cat.

So my daughter and I loved this story.My daughter is really in to fan fiction, particularly “dark winning”
stories because, after all, who doesn’t love a good villain.Our favorite Disney movies are “The Princess
and the Frog” and “Mulan” where the princess is the one kicking butt and taking
names, not just sitting around waiting for her handsome prince to rescue
her.It fits really well with my strong
willed daughter’s personality.

This is more than just a retelling
of a fairy tale. This is a complete re-working of the whole fairy tale reality
into a darker version.It is also filled
with graphic sexual descriptions and language that is inappropriate for younger
readers.Parents, you will want to read
this first to determine is if acceptable for your child.

I loved the humor and the darkness
of this book.Both were just in the
right amounts for me to appreciate both equally.I give this book 4.5 out of 5 clouds and a
chili pepper rating of 7 due to thegraphic nature of the language.

This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Welcome to Books, Books, and More Books.I am pleased to share my review of this book
with you.Thank you for visiting and
please come again.

Crashers: A Tale of Cappers and Hammers

Lindy S. Hudis

crime fiction/suspense

290 pages

Blurb
:

Fraudulent car accidents is a multi-million dollar racket,
involving unscrupulous medical providers, personal injury attorneys, and the cooperating passengers
involved in the accidents—and who also receive a portion of the illegal
proceeds. Such is the fate of newly engaged, Nathan and Shari, whose joy is
tempered by the dark cloud of mounting debt.

A chance encounter with a stranger in whom Shari confides
her troubles proves fortuitous: he tells her of a get-rich-quick scheme that
will put her and her fiancé on easy street. Seduced by the chance to move from
hard times to good times in no time, Shari takes the carrot offered her, and
finds herself acting as a “stuffed passenger”—the “victim” in a staged auto
accident. The act goes according to plan and Shari gets her payday, but getting
out and breaking free of the insurance fraud underworld will take nothing short
of a miracle.

About the
Author:

Lindy
S. Hudis is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She
is the author of a suspense novel, Weekends. Her screenplay “The Lesson” was
made into an independent film and was screened at the Seattle Independent Film
Festival and Cine-Nights in 2000. She lives in California with her husband and
two children.

Capper—The
person responsible for recruiting stuffed passengers who will be used to submit
fraudulent claims to the insurance companies. Cappers are typically paid a
percentage of the total receipts from the false claims. The cappers supply
cooperating passengers for the participating attorneys and medical providers.

Stuffed
Passengers—Individuals are recruited to make false claims regarding their
involvement in automobile accidents. They are typically coached as to the
details of the staged or fictitious collisions and resulting fictitious
injuries.

Nail Car—The
term used for the victim vehicle involved in the staged accident that is hit by
the hammer car. The vehicle is often stuffed with passengers, who then file the
fraudulent claims with the assistance of legal professionals.

Hammer Car—The
term for the “at fault” vehicle in a staged accident that hits the nail car.
This car is typically insured, and the insurer is often defrauded of an average
of $6000 per claimant per accident.

Kickback—The
fees paid to cappers by unethical attorneys and medical providers for the
referral of accidents. These payments are often made in cash to conceal them
from investigators.

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

For KXXX TV and KXXX AM Radio News, this is Katie Carlson
with your mid-morning eye-in-the-sky traffic report, and it’s an easy one: It’s
messed up EVERYWHERE! So far, the 405 South is backed up all the way to the
101. So, if you are going into Hollywood this morning, you are going to be late
for that audition. Also, there is an injury crash on the Eastbound 10. So, if
you are heading into downtown LA, you might want to bring a magazine or get some
knitting done. If you are going to LAX, forget it, call mom back east and tell
her you will be driving out instead. Just Kidding! Any way, this is Katie
Carlson with the Los Angeles mid-morning traffic report. Enjoyyour
commute everybody, NOT!

* * *

As the blare of the clock radio on the night table jolted
her awake, Shari Barnes rubbed her eyes, blew her long brown hair out of
her face, and snuggled into Nathan Townsend’s chest. She curled her body around
his middle and took a deep whiff of his salty, masculine neck.

But she couldn’t ignore the voice on the radio.

“Monday morning traffic,” she sighed.

Nathan matched the sigh and put his arms around her. “At
least you don’t have to drive over the hill.”

“Yeah, I would just die if I had to drive into Beverly
Hills every day to work in a beautiful office.” Shari giggled and disappeared
under their thick blue comforter for a few more moments of sleepy-headed bliss.
She felt Nathan stretch up, and a moment later the radio shut off. Then he slid
down next to her in the single bed they shared in their Studio City apartment,
a few blocks north of Ventura Boulevard. The constant drone and rumble of
another L.A. morning came clearly through the open window: cars honking, rock
music blaring, the frantic scurrying sounds of the film shoot a few blocks
away. Shari ran her bare feet up the inside of Nathan’s thigh.

He jumped. “Shit, your feet are cold.” He pushed her legs
off of him.

“What time is it?” she murmured between kisses.

“Um, seven.” He nuzzled her neck and she felt him becoming
erect against her.

“No time for that!” She threw off the covers. “Gotta be at
work on time for once; gotta get my asp out of bed.”

“There’s a snake in the bed?” Nathan grabbed her with both
hands and gave her belly gentle nips.

“Yeah, of the one-eyed variety.” Shari leaped to the floor
and padded naked into the bathroom. She turned the hot water in the shower to
high and stepped in, filling the small bathroom with steam.

She had just poured a green drop of shampoo into her palm
and was running her hands together when the flimsy yellow and white shower
curtain flew back and Nathan grinned in at her. She smiled back, surprised by
neither his arrival nor the partial hard-on that preceded him.

“Mind if we join you?” he asked.

“There’s enough shampoo for everybody,” Shari said as she
rubbed her hands across her scalp.

He stepped into the stall, pulled the curtain closed and
began to lather her hair for her. She put her hands on his back, feeling the
taut muscles and the water streaming there, but did not reach down between
them. It took him about five seconds to realize it and hold her away.

“Well, I have to shoot my student thesis film this year or I
won’t graduate. But where am I going to get the money I need?”

“How much do you need?”

“At least five figures.”

Book Review:

I found
this book difficult to read because I actually know a couple people who were
victims of this type of crime, so just having someone was contemplating this
kind of upset me a little at first.It
probably didn’t help that book started slow.Once the story picked up, those little uncomfortable thoughts vanished
as the story wrapped me in and tantalized me.

I give
this story 4.5 out of 5 clouds.

This
product or book may have been distributed for review; this in no way affects my
opinions or reviews.

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Do you like to read? Have you ever stayed up waaaayyy to late reading? Then this is the spot for you. Join me as I review books, link to other fabulous book sites, and please respond with your comments as well. This is the spot for the eclectic book reader. I love all kinds of books, in any format (book, e-book, chapters in a magazine... heck I even read the back of the cereal box every time). I can't wait to share my love of books with you and see what has captured your attention as well.